Publisher's description:
Talhoffer's professional fencing manual of 1467 illustrates the intricacies of the medieval art of fighting, covering both the 'judicial duel' (an officially sanctioned fight to resolve a legal dispute) and personal combat.
Combatants in the Middle Ages used footwork, avoidance, and the ability to judge and manipulate timing and distance to exploit and enhance the sword's inherent cutting and thrusting capabilities. These skills were supplemented with techniques for grappling, wrestling, kicking and throwing the opponent, as well as disarming him by seizing his weapon. Every attack contained a defence and every defence a counter-attack. Talhoffer reveals the techniques for wrestling, unarmoured fighting with the long sword, pole-axe, dagger, sword and buckler, and mounted combat.
This unparalleled guide to medieval combat, illustrated with 268 contemporary images, provides a glimpse of real people fighting with skill, sophistication and ruthlessness. This is one of the most popular and influential manuals of its kind.

Contents:
page 7 Foreword by John Clements
Introduction by: Mark Rector
MEDIEVAL COMBATS
I. Long Sword - plates 1-67
II. Armoured Combat in the Lists with Spear and Sword - plates 68-73
III. Long Sword - plates 74-78
IV. Pole-Aze - plates 79-103
V. Shield and Wooden Mace - plates 104-126
VI. Shield and Sword - plates 128-150
VII. Shiled - plates 151-164
VIII. Throated Hooking Shiled - plates 165-169
IX. Dagger - plates 170-189
X. Wrestling - plates 190-221
XI. Messer ('long knife') - plates 223-230
XII. Sword and Buckler - plates 231-239
XIII. One against Two - plates 240-241
XIV. Fight between a Man and a Woman - plates 242-250
XV. Sword Fight on Horseback - plates 251-260
XVI. Hand-to-Hand Fight on Horseback - plates 261-264
XVII. Fight on Horseback with Lance and Sword - plates 265-266
XVIII. Fight on Horseback against the Crossbow - plates 267-270
291 Notes to Plate Captions
297 Appendix. Swabian text
315 Bibliography